I have copied and pasted this answer from a website. We have discussed this a long time ago I will try and find the thread.

As a general rule of thumb, practicing Jews do not write the name God because of the laws delivered by Moses which are found in Deuteronomy 12:3-12:4. In this passage, the Jews are instructed to destroy anything and everything associated with their rival’s gods, and they are not to let this happen to their own God. Writing G-d instead of God is one way to prevent others from destroying the name of God.

Jews interpret the law given by Moses as a prohibition against transcribing the name of God, because they feel that if God is recorded onto a piece of paper, there is the possibility that the name will be disrespected or destroyed in some way. The general concern with writing G-d in its true form is that it might be erased, defaced by being crossed out or scribbled upon, torn, thrown in the trash, or ravaged in some other way. Writing G-d instead of God communicates the writer’s idea effectively, but since G-d is incomplete, there is no risk of defacement. The Jews have other names for their creator besides G-d, including Hashem, YHVH, Elohim, and El Shaddai, which are also not written in their complete form.

There are, however, exceptions to the prohibition of writing God rather than G-d. The Jews believe that on occasion, it is acceptable to write God when there is no likelihood that the written word will be defaced. This includes the written form of God in the Torah, which is the Hebrew Bible, also found in the first five books of the Christian Bible. Writing the name of God is not prohibited when it is done carefully, with foresight and respect.

Actually, it is confounding, since the word God is clearly not a name of God, right? I spoke with a highly respected Orthodox rabbi about this and he informed me that you can write God with no problem for this reason. Yet for some reason it is customarily not done, which he believes is a misunderstanding. He is, however, a Lithuanian Jew, which has somewhat different laws than the main Jewry.
the mezuzah is carefully written and is believed to be corrupted and inefficacious if a single letter is miswritten or written in the wrong order. so, the names of God are not written generally, and some of the good ones are not disclosed to the masses as they are considered too powerful. As a Jew I am uncomfortable about having destroyed the names of other gods, but I don't want to be anachronistic and judge the past by the present world of extreme inter-communication.

Answer: God's name is treated with unusual care in Jewish tradition. The divine name, YHWH (spelled with the Hebrew letters yud, hey, vav, hey) is never pronounced. Traditionally, Jews read the word "Adonai" (often translated as "the Lord") whenever reading God's holiest name in Torah or in prayer. However, "Adonai" is not God's name.

Among some traditional Jews, speaking even the word "Adonai" is avoided outside of worship or study. This "stand-in" for God's name is itself replaced by "Ha-Shem" ("The Name"). The practice also has been extended to other Hebrew words associated with God. For example, the Hebrew word "Elohim," which means "God" (the title, not God's name), is pronounced "Elokim" outside of prayer and study.

In recent years, some Jews have carried the practice even further by abstaining from writing the English word "God" and substituting the spelling, "G-d" or "Gd." However, there is no prohibition in Jewish law from writing "God" in any language other than Hebrew. In fact, there is an often repeated story about Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, z"l, one of the foremost authorities of Modern Orthodoxy, who intentionally would write and erase the word "God" (in English) on the blackboard in front of his students at Yeshiva University in order to emphasize the fact this is not prohibited by Jewish law.

Some Reform Jews observe the custom of spelling God as "G-d." Most do not. In any case, it would be inappropriate and opposed to Jewish values to correct or shame a person for keeping this practice if it is done out of respect and reverence for God.

I still maintain that God is not a name of God and therefore, strictly speaking, is exempt. It is a noun, not a pronoun. I don't know the history of how this started but someone in a rabbinical seminary does I am sure.

We should also refrain from saying things in anger, such as ---damnit. or Jeezuz ---- etc. Even Jeepers Creepers.

You say I take the Name in vain,
I don't even know the Name,
and, if I did, what's it to ya?

Thanks guys. Everytime i google a Leonard Cohen question, I find that it has already been asked and answered by the fine people of these forums. On a side note, this is my first time actually posting here! I took a member name some years ago in order to get presale tickets but I'm new to the forums.